


Cling

by absolutelyCancerous (cal1brations)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, No Romance, hints of dennor if you squint, they're just a big lame family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 12:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3447650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cal1brations/pseuds/absolutelyCancerous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norway is the <i>best</i> brother (and Iceland has <i>four</i> to pick from).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cling

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote [this stupid headcanon](http://absolutely-cancerous.tumblr.com/post/87852734507/please-imagine-little-iceland-toddling-after) and it recently starting going around again so I thought if I wrote something akin to it the need would be sated. Alas, you can never have enough tiny Iceland, it's just too cute. I don't make the rules.

Sometimes, Iceland just gets inconsolable.

He's a really good kid, honestly. He listens to all of the older boys when they tell him what to do. He doesn't get too fussy when they have to walk for a long while, or when no one can carry him. He's very shy, but he's also a polite little one when he gets what he wants (after enjoying it for a little bit, that is).

But, Iceland is still a little boy, while the rest of them are hovering around the physical presentation of about fourteen. He's bound to get upset _sometimes_.

Like tonight.

He has a nightmare in the early morning, when the sun hasn't risen and even the older boys are in bed (sometimes they stay up until dawn, which Iceland thinks is very unfair, but Norway tells him it really isn't that fun, it's too tiring to be fun). He wakes up, and the darkness makes him terrified, so he begins to cry.

He's out of his bed so quickly, he nearly tumbles off it. Out of his room he goes, his bare feet _tump-tump-tump_ ing down the hall as he goes to Norway's door. It's ajar, which usually means he isn't there, but Iceland is desperate for his brother, so he tries anyway.

Of course, the bed is empty, and Iceland cries a little harder at that, toddling back out into the hall. He cries out "big brother!" a few times, but big brother doesn't come for him, so he goes to his runner-up in means of comfort, the door a ways down.

Denmark's door is closed, which usually means he doesn't want anyone in there. Iceland knows it's not the best choice to barge in, but it's dark out here and he's alone and he doesn't have big brother or anyone to--

The door opens before Iceland can knock on it (or shove it open), and there's Norway! Iceland gets a little hysterical in his tears as he reaches up for him, begging for his brother to hold him, which Norway does in an instant, picking him up in his arms and tucking Iceland's head against his neck, rubbing his back. Iceland doesn't care why Norway's in Denmark's room, because if he gets to sleep in the big bed, he'll get to have two of his brothers making sure he's safe-- why on earth would he complain about that?

"Quiet, Ice," Norway's telling him softly, stroking his hair as he waltzes around the room a little, waiting for Iceland to calm down enough. Denmark makes a groan from the bed when the crying doesn't stop, and sits up to watch Norway.

"Wha'sa matter?" Denmark slurs from the bed, and Iceland feels Norway sigh; he tries to calm down a little, so Norway won't be upset with him.

"What happened, Ice?" Norway asks, dropping a kiss in Iceland's hair as he tries to get him to look up or speak or something-- Iceland's usually fairly mild-mannered, so it must have been something nasty to get him to the point of hysterics like that.

Iceland sniffles, and his sobbing has died down into squeaky hiccups. "I had a nightmare," he says softly, and Norway doesn't do much for a moment (Iceland thinks he's looking at Denmark, but he can't check to see) but when he does do something, he's laying Iceland down in bed, next to Denmark, which makes Iceland feel a little. Then Norway slides into bed, pulling up the covers, and Iceland feels a thousand times more safe, and clings onto Norway. Norway rubs his back some more, for a long time, and when his hand slows to a stop, Iceland lifts his head up and asks him why, which makes Norway continue wordlessly.

Denmark falls back asleep with ease, but Iceland feels better knowing he's there if any of the shadows of the dark try to get him. However, him and Norway end up staying up until dawn, which makes Iceland feel better (since the light of day is back to banish away his scary dreams). He doesn't think about what Norway thinks of staying up, since he's done it so much.

* * *

  
Norway takes him downstairs to eat when they realize they won't be sleeping anymore for today.

He carries Iceland down to everyone else, and Norway tries very hard not to sigh when he sees _everyone_ is downstairs, Denmark and Sweden in the same room willingly. Finland, the polite soul he is, asks Norway if everything was okay last night, to which Norway gives Iceland a little bounce in his arms to show him the issue. Finland smiles sympathetically at that, but Denmark, in typical Denmark fashion, throws in his two cents.

"Nor stayed up all night with him! _That's_ dedication," he explains with a grin, and Iceland thinks it's odd how no one questions why Denmark knows what Norway was doing with him all night; is it not weird to the rest of them that Norway sleeps in Denmark's bed sometimes?

Nonetheless, they manage through a meal without Denmark and Sweden erupting into a fight, which is kind of rare nowadays. Not to say that they don't make snippy comments at one another but, it's better than dishes getting broken in the crossfire of Denmark climbing over the table to throw a punch, which has happened more times than one might think.

After they eat, Norway and Finland immediately set to clearing the table (a little worried that broken dishes are in the realm of possibility), which Iceland seems distressed at. Denmark notices the boy pulling a little face, to which he snickers a little at.

"What's wrong, Ice?" He asks, but he's grinning, so Iceland thinks he's just trying to be mean, which Denmark often tends to be when he's around Sweden-- something about Sweden just brings out the nasty side of Den.

Iceland hops off his chair quietly, and toddles out to find Norway. He follows the quiet conversation he can hear from Finland, and trails out to the kitchen, where the two are setting dishes into the water basin, which Finland will do later (Norway doesn't do dishes). Finland catches sight of him, and smiles as he waves with a wet hand, which makes Norway turn round to look at him.

"What do you need, Ice?" He asks as he sets the last plate into the basin, shaking his hands dry over the basin as he looks to the boy.

Iceland frowns. "Big brother."

Norway sighs as he straightens up, walking over to him to plant a kiss on the top of Iceland's head, smoothing back his hair for him. "Big brother needs to work today," he tells him gently. "You can manage, you'll be alright."

Norway turns to leave the room, then. Finland and Iceland both watch him, until Finland looks to the boy with a little laugh.

"Don't look so sad!" Finland tells him gently, and Iceland turns to look at Finland with wet eyes, obviously upset. He doesn't want Norway to focus on work, he wants Norway to focus on _him_ , because he's _brother dearest_ and he deserves Norway's attention because he had a bad dream last night!

"Oh, Ice--" Finland's trying to say, moving to straighten up, but Iceland takes off, nearly tripping over the hem of his skirt as he scurries off.

He follows right after Norway, into his study, but stops there. Norway will be upset with him, probably, if he interrupts his work. He doesn't want Norway mad, he just wants Norway to pay attention to him and make him feel better.

So Iceland decides to set up right outside of the study, goes to get his books and sits himself right there on the floor. He swears he can hear a little chuckle from the study, but he doesn't investigate, only begins to read one of his several storybooks, waiting for Norway to decide Iceland is more important than his work.

* * *

  
Every time Norway leaves the study, Iceland drops whatever he's doing and follows him.

Norway leaves the room to ask Denmark for a signature, Iceland is right there after him, following at least three steps behind him-- he doesn't want Norway getting too suspicious. He doesn't know that Norway knows his tiny, five-year-old-looking brother is following him so closely, and hiding a few smiles at the fact. Iceland also doesn't know that the rest of the house knows this, and thinks it's just as cute.

Norway gets his signature (with a little bit of banter from Den), and strolls away, pretending that there isn't a tiny Iceland at his heels. Iceland has to get on his tiptoes to see Denmark at his desk, which makes Denmark grin, but Iceland turns just as fluently as Norway had, and shuffles off after him.

He goes back to do more work, so Iceland settles down with his book again. Really, he likes it most when Denmark reads to him, because Denmark does voices and sounds way more excited than Iceland reading the stories inside his head.

Iceland begins to feel very tired as he reads on, and eventually ends up lying down on the floor for a nap sometime in the early afternoon. He wakes up a tiny bit when he feels someone picking him up, but he's too sleepy to truly care who it is, as long as they take him somewhere comfy, or to his big brother.

But he falls asleep before he's set down-- it's Norway who's putting him in bed. He tucks in the little boy and strokes back his hair, kisses his forehead as he smooths a hand over his chest gently. Iceland doesn't stir, so Norway takes his leave then; how badly he wanted to lie down and nap with him, though.

Norway manages a little more work, before he hears the _tump-tump-tump_ ing of little feet down the stairs. They stop at the doorway of his study, and Norway stifles a smile as he tries to see where Iceland is sitting this time.

Eventually he gives up on work (he'll get Denmark to do it, and then he'll re-do it) and slowly gets up from his seat, quietly moving to the doorway to peek out. Iceland is sitting there, just out of sight from the seat inside the office, reading a book and mumbling the words out loud to himself. Norway quietly moves to step out of the office, and Iceland's head snaps up to look at him, ready to toss his book and follow Norway again.

But Norway only comes to take a seat with him, tucking his robes under him as he sits on the floor, gently wrapping an arm around Iceland, and Iceland immediately burrows up into him, cuddly as always when it comes to Norway.

"What are we reading?" Norway asks as he places a kiss atop Iceland's head, and Iceland smiles a little as he smooths a hand over the page.

"Kings' sagas," he tells him, but looks up to Norway quietly. "It's not the same when I read them," he tells Norway quietly, and Norway smiles just a bit as he lifts the book into his lap.

Iceland settles in closer as Norway begins to read, closing his eyes as he makes himself comfortable. Norway's hand is cold against his shoulder, but the rest of him is warm, and Iceland slowly finds himself falling asleep to the sound of Norway's voice.

(Denmark later finds both brothers asleep there on the floor outside of Norway's study, and laughs as quietly as possible as he scoots by them to steal Norway's work from his desk-- he'll be nice, just for today. And Norway will thank him for doing his work for him! Probably.)


End file.
